Cottage Decorating Articles

This is a expanded post collection of cottage decorating articles to help stimulate your thoughts on improving your cottage style designs. Some examples of post articles include how to Design a Sofa Collage, 5 Ways to Use a Barn Door in Your Designs, updates on design trends and many more. Every cottage decorating post includes sorting tags to focus on specific decorating by room or cottage decorating style. Please let our designers know which article you found the most helpful or what cottage decorating subjects you would appreciate us covering in the future.

Few things refresh the psyche more than a refuge, such as this cottage style veranda, which offers access to nature with a feeling of sheltered comfort. This ground-level porch affords an element of natural privacy through the surrounding screen of foliage, and a partial wall serves to separate a dining table and chairs from a sitting area without losing any feeling of openness. The white bamboo chairs, white painted console table with tapered legs and white painted open woodwork railings cultivate a clean, airy feeling. Aqua and butter yellow accents on pillows and other accessories, as well as touches like palmetto fronds, add a cheery dose of softly contrasting color.

Bamboo furniture is perfect for covered porches, and is becoming more of a staple for indoor use as well. We offer various wicker furniture collections, of which some items are rattan and bamboo, including our Cottage Wicker and Porch Wicker. Click here for more customizable bamboo pieces.

Do you have a retreat in your cottage home?

Brought to you by Cottage Home – specializing in cottage furniture and farmhouse tables

Plaids intrigue with their ability to bring so many colors together in an orderly and reassuring manner. Hooked on these vinyl floor cloths that appear to be grand old wool rugs, we have seized on an opportunity to mix patterns with plaids in a tight knit color scheme: gold, grey, red and ivory. These combinations conjure up the warm and solid sentiment of a rich relation’s old library, where bold traditional rugs emanate elegance alongside casual throws and priceless hangings bearing family tartans.

These vinyl floor coverings are magnificently versatile, easy to clean and grip whatever surface you choose to grace with them. Available in custom sizes and in other colors. All swatches in our Color Board are of floor cloths save the Highland Charcoal, which is a handsome cotton flannel fabric available on any item from sophisticated sofas to quirky ottomans in our Summer House upholstered furniture collection.

Are you mad for plaid?

Brought to you by Cottage Home – distinctive cottage furniture & farmhouse tables

As winter approaches, welcomed hints of muted color at the break of day signal the beginning of precious daylight. All the soft tints of a winter’s dawn – toasted almond, silver and champagne – that streak across the sky and snowscape are brought together in the Lotus Rug (pictured above, at center). This lushly hand-tufted rug is made in India of 100% bamboo viscose. With neutrals ranging from frosty grey to sandy browns, the Lotus Rug subtly exudes a welcoming warmth.

Like the verdant orange groves of the Spanish countryside, the mossy green tiles in this country cottage living room call to mind bountiful harvests and time-honored traditions. French doors with Moorish arches open to a sunny courtyard, while a hooded fireplace with moulding guarantees comfort for grey days. A natural fiber rug and low, movable seats blend with wood and leather for a rustic yet refined comfort. We love how the classic cottageness of this living room is embellished with Mediterranean touches such as scrolling sconces and exotic tiled floors.

Sliding into autumn, the grey-brown bark of a silent oak topped by startling golden and caramel leaves prompts us to explore an infrequent pairing: taupe and honey. Taupe, a greyish brown (or a brownish grey?), exudes a steely sophistication, while honey triggers a primal warmth on sight. The two colors may at first seem like old schoolmates who haven’t talked in a while, but once you bridge the tonal gap with a little ivory or cream the two colors start to really reconnect.

Shown here in both Taupe and Honey, the Brentwood Entertainment Console is also available in 25 other finishes. A distinctive and versatile piece, it will fit right into your cottage living room, dining room, office or even bedroom. Its medallion-embellished doors call to mind an antique tin ceiling, while its faux bamboo frame adds a bit of exoticism. With an adjustable interior shelf, this long and lean storage unit can serve many purposes. We can’t decide which color we like best, so we’ve pictured them both along with four wool rugs to illustrate the possibilities.

What is your favorite shade of brown?

Brought to you by Cottage Home – distinctive cottage furniture & farmhouse tables

As the unofficial end of the summer season draws near, we aren’t quite ready to let go… and this converted attic room is just the remedy. A profusion of blues, aquas and whites along with nautical nostalgia provides a quaint hideaway at the end of a day filled with outdoor activities. Covering the main barnboard wall are paintings of grand ships a-sail, salty old skippers, technical sketches and silhouettes. The shipshape sofa creates an unassuming base for comfort while retro and refined matching tufted seats provide a seating twist. The tables are sturdy and unique, possibly flea market finds, not to mention the numerous kitsch mariner statuettes and knick-knacks. The modern lighting fixtures near the peak of the ceiling bring to mind bubbles escaping the roiling waves.

This cozy arrangement could also work in a covered porch area, preferably one with exposed beams. If your nautical wall art collection has not reached this level, you could easily take up half the wall with painted white beadboard or weathered shiplap. This room shows its wooden floors to full advantage, but the furniture could also be drawn together with an area rug, possibly a hand-me-down Oriental or a sun-bleached natural fiber rug. And of course the color scheme can be changed up on a whim by changing out the sofa slipcover and incorporating other throw pillows.

The Regatta Stripe Indoor/Outdoor Rugcaptures the best of summer in its bold navy, cornflower, red and white stripes. Bringing to mind the open seas, crisp white sails and nautical pennants whipping in the wind, it looks dashing both with a leather sofa and ottoman bench and in an edgy kitchen with steel and wood pieces. This lightweight and low-maintenance rug has engaging color, classic nautical style and serious decor versatility.

We love this relaxed and beachy living room, with its bright blue and green seaglass accents, and have picked out some Cottage Home pieces that will help you recreate this rustic seashore look. Our Country Farm Estate Leg Coffee Table is extremely versatile and can be fully finished in 6 different stains, completely painted in 40 standard colors or finished half and half as shown. It pairs easily with the Camden Slipcovered Sofa, which isavailable in 400+ fabrics, and in both townhouse and sofa sizes. We have several cottage wicker and rattan seating choices, and the Cottage Wicker Rattan Club Chairhas a slender cane silhouette to add interest to your cottage decor.

It’s hard to resist deep ocean-borne blue and green hues against crisp white, washing a wave of relaxation over your decor. In addition to the mood-altering power of these colors, the swatches above all share the mod sensibility of the go-go era. These retro patterns intrigue us, ranging from the rambling paisley of the Algura Denim Fabric to the Danish mod Lona Plantation Fabric to the psychedelic Carousel Ocean Fabric. And with a nod to the mid-century preoccupation with all things Asian, the Cove Indigo Fabric and Cove Pool Fabric offer a bamboo trellis effect.

These indigo and teal-based fabrics are all from our Shoreline Slipcovered Furniture collection, and are 100% cotton and machine-washable. Please browse our other Shoreline fabrics, all available priced by the yard, and of course available on any slipcovered or upholstered Shoreline piece. In any event, outfit your cottage or beach house with some of these fab fabrics.

This week we pay tribute to the Red, White and Blue, the winsome and revered trio of colors in the United States flag. Just as this nation is a mix of ethnicities and creeds, our picks above represent a spectrum of styles, shades and tastes, from traditional to edgy decor. From bold, billowy patterns to reserved stripes and solids. . . From understated hues to bold primaries. . . . From white with navy and cherry red to variations such as turquoise and persimmon. . . From a nautical bent to an exotic vibe. . . These rooms all make a patriotic statement, yet can definitely also fit into your everyday repertoire. Happy 4th of July to everyone!